Cooperative Agreement U18FD008669
- This $548,445 Cooperative Agreement award from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under the FDA Research program (CFDA 93.103), will fund a pilot research study on contaminant levels and ultra-processed food prevalence in school meals served by the Newfield Central School District in Newfield, New York. The study will generate systematic data on the impact of food processing practices on contaminant exposure in institutional food service settings, as well as evaluate the feasibility and...
- The Groton Central School District (Groton CSD) was awarded a $403,507 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), funded under the FDA Research program (CFDA 93.103). The project, titled "Research Study of Contaminants in School Meals: Scratch Cooking Intervention in Groton Central School District," will run from August 2025 to July 2027. The primary objectives of this pilot study are to generate systematic evidence on contaminant levels in National...
- This $2,000,000 Cooperative Agreement award from the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FDA Research, CFDA 93.103) will support a pilot study conducted by the Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) in Brownsville, TX. The study aims to generate systematic evidence on contaminant levels in National School Lunch Program meals and assess how menu composition affects contaminant exposure. The research will also contribute data on the feasibility and effectiveness of large-scale...
- This Cooperative Agreement award from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the FDA Research program (CFDA 93.103) provides $1,249,999 to the Ozark School District in Arkansas to investigate contaminants in school meals and support the transition to healthier food systems. The project will conduct a yearlong comparative study of ultra-processed vendor-provided meals versus scratch-cooked, farm-fresh alternatives, testing for contaminants such as sodium, preservatives, heavy metals, and...
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), through its FDA Research Program (CFDA 93.103), awarded a $500,000 Cooperative Agreement to the Magazine School District in Arkansas. The project, titled "Arkansas's FRESH Network: Assisting Magazine School District with Understanding Contaminants in School Meals and Transitioning to Better Food Systems," aims to pilot a transformative school meal model in participating districts across Arkansas. The key products and services to be delivered...
- This $750,000 Cooperative Agreement award from the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FDA), under the FDA Research program (CFDA 93.103), will assist the Lamar School District in Arkansas with understanding contaminants in school meals and transitioning to better food systems. The project involves nutritional and contaminant testing of both vendor-supplied and scratch-cooked meals, robust student engagement through taste tests and surveys, and professional development for school...
- The Mansfield School District in Arkansas received a $750,000 Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Research program (CFDA 93.103) to pilot a transformative school meal model. The project, titled "FRESH NETWORK: Assisting Mansfield Schools with Understanding Contaminants in School Meals and Transitioning to Better Food Systems," will: Conduct nutritional and contaminant testing of both vendor-supplied and scratch-cooked school meals Engage...
- This $2,000,000.00 Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Research program (CFDA 93.103) supports an intervention to reduce ultra-processed foods (UPFs) served in Seattle Public Schools, the largest school district in Washington state. The key activities include: Expanding scratch-cooked meals by investing in kitchen equipment and staff training to replace pre-packaged, UPFs and reduce potential contaminants. Sourcing locally grown produce and proteins in...
- The Trenton Special School District in Tennessee was awarded a $750,000 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Research program (CFDA 93.103) to pilot a transformative school meal model across participating Arkansas districts. The project, titled "FRESH NETWORK: Assisting Trenton Special School District with Understanding Contaminants in School Meals and Transitioning to Better Food Systems", aims to address issues around ultra-processed foods in...
- This federal Project Grant award of $663,097, provided by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847), aims to evaluate the impact of updated federal nutrition standards for school meals implemented in April 2024. The study will first examine compliance with the new standards and potential product reformulation using detailed menu data from 24 schools across 4 states...
A RESEARCH STUDY ON CONTAMINANTS IN SCHOOL MEALS: ITHACA HEALTHY SCHOOL MEALS - PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT THIS PILOT STUDY WILL GENERATE THE FIRST SYSTEMATIC EVIDENCE ON CONTAMINANT LEVELS IN NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM MEALS AND AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF HOW MENU COMPOSITION AFFECTS CONTAMINANT EXPOSURE. BY IMPLEMENTING A RIGOROUS PRE-POST INTERVENTION DESIGN, THE RESEARCH WILL ADVANCE SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF WHETHER FOOD PROCESSING LEVELS DIRECTLY IMPACT CONTAMINANT BURDEN IN INSTITUTIONAL FOOD SERVICE SETTINGS. THE STUDY WILL ALSO CONTRIBUTE NOVEL DATA ON THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF LARGE-SCALE MENU TRANSITIONS IN INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS. THE EVALUATION OF WHOLE FOOD MENU IMPLEMENTATION USING SCRATCH-COOKING PRACTICES WILL PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO OPTIMAL TRANSITION STRATEGIES AND IDENTIFY KEY BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS FOR SUSTAINABLE PROGRAM CHANGES. A PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO MEASURE THE CURRENT LEVELS OF CONTAMINANTS AND UPFS IN SCHOOL MEALS AND TO OFFER EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES THAT PROMOTE THE INCLUSION OF FRESH, WHOLE, AND MINIMALLY PROCESSED FOODS. WE OFFER A NEW METHODOLOGY UTILIZING A STANDARDIZED INSTRUMENT (A "SCRATCH COOKING WORKSHEET") TO UNDERSTAND AN SFA'S CURRENT POSITION ALONG THE SCRATCH-COOKING CONTINUUM AS A PROXY MEASURE FOR THE AVAILABILITY OF UPFS, THEREBY PRIORITIZING A SOLUTIONS-BASED APPROACH. THE CURRENT RESEARCH ON BOTH UPFS AND SCRATCH COOKING IN SCHOOLS IS NASCENT; IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL, WE WILL ADDRESS A CRITICAL GAP IN KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE CURRENT PREVALENCE OF UPFS IN SCHOOL MEALS AS WELL AS OFFER A NEW METHODOLOGY FOR MEASURING SCRATCH COOKING THAT CAN BE REPLICATED ACROSS MORE DISTRICTS, STATES, AND NATIONALLY. THE CHEF ANN FOUNDATION (CAF), A NON-PROFIT DEDICATED TO PROMOTING WHOLE-INGREDIENT, SCRATCH-COOKING IN SCHOOLS, WILL SUPPORT ITHACA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, BASED IN ITHACA, NEW YORK, WITH PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION. THE DISTRICT SERVES 5,383 STUDENTS ACROSS TWELVE SCHOOL SITES. PROJECT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES WILL BE CARRIED OUT AT EIGHT SITES. UPFS AND SELECTED CONTAMINANTS WILL BE MEASURED AT BASELINE ASSESSMENT AND IN POST-EVALUATION. THE DISTRICT WILL RECEIVE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FROM CAF TO COMPLETE MENU TRANSITIONS TO SCRATCH-COOKED OFFERINGS IN THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR, WITH MIDPOINT ADJUSTMENTS MADE BASED ON FIRST-SEMESTER RESULTS AND CHALLENGES. A FINAL REPORT WILL DEMONSTRATE THE OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS MADE BY THE DISTRICT IN MOVING TOWARD A MORE WHOLE-FOODS MENU. ADDITIONALLY, RESULTS FROM THE PRE-POST ASSESSMENT WILL INFORM THE LARGER STUDY TO ASSESS UPFS AND CONTAMINANTS IN SCHOOL MEALS.
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | ($618k) | 8/6/25 | ||
| Not listed | $617.8k | 8/1/25 |